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I think we all go through these down moments after surgery and especially during a stall. Just don't let this lead to self sabotage, find the positive side in everything you have accomplished thus far and believe in yourself. Imagine yourself as you want to be 6 months to a year from now. Keep that image in your mind and push out the negative thoughts. Don't let past habits back in. Yesterday's mistakes are already in the past and today is a new day.

You can do this!!!

I'm Praying for you today.

Thank you--I'm working to get back on track. It's been a tough period with the move and my niece's death. Tonight I made soup, mostly veggies and turkey kielbasa, very good. I'm not quite used to being able to eat just about anything again . . . able to--I know it's not necessarily a good idea just because I can.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Almost 50lbs is amazing! Your body just needs a little breather, then will reward you with a 2 pound drop. I'm sure of it!

Yes it did. I was on pre-op for 2 weeks and managed to lose about 19lbs before I went under. Surgery went fine. The biggest advise I can give is start moving as soon as you feel up for it. Even if it is walking +/- 5 minutes at first. I had my operation on Wednesday morning. I was home Thursday afternoon and just walking around my house for a few minutes. Come Friday afternoon I was taking short walks up and down the sidewalk. It really help especially if you get gas pain in the shoulder area like most do after laparoscopic based surgery.

I hope so and thank you. I want to be out quick so I can be home I don't like being in the hospital for more than 2 days.

Pre-op is by far the hardest as far as exercising willpower. You still have all of your hunger hormones, honeymoon period will not start until post op. Hang in there!

Praying you feel better today!

Ice helps! I had trouble with water at first and crystal light went down easier (Weird I know but it worked) I was so swollen at first I had a similar time but it does get better. I promise! Thinking of you and hope it gets better soon.

Sugarfree popsicles saved me when I couldn't drink

I feel you first I lost a couple of pounds then gained back more! I'm folllowing every thing the doctor said including walking, protein and fluids. I finally hid the scale because the reality is the scale isn't telling the whole story. I've had to replace my entire wardrobe- the clothes I wore in June at the end of our school year didn't fit when's i tried them on last week - two weeks after surgery ( I also lost 40 pounds pre surgery). I put on a size Xl outfit today and in June as wearing 3x! So ignore the scale and check out your clothes, also do you have more energy etc? Good luck!

I'm not sure how long post-op you are, but the first week you actually gain water weight from all the IV fluids. I lost that and more by the end of the second week. Then at 3.5 weeks I hit the famous 3 week stall...lol.. so yeah very normal for some people. If you get stressed by stalls weigh less often for sure. I weigh everyday and so I am used to the bouncing up and down and don't stress about it. As long as you know you are following your plan you will lose, stall, lose, rinse and repeat.

I didn't know about this three week stall but I am there right now. I agree that hiding the scale is a good idea. It's hard because I want to know my progress but my clothes are all loose. I already had to do one huge overhaul of my closet and more than half had to be donated!

I am looking forward to more exercise besides just walking. I heard that will help too!

So I also have a dairy allergy--causes asthma. I found 3 whey isolates that work for me. I can't have soy or other veggie proteins cuz of hormone positive breast cancer so it was super important to try out the proteins and make sure I could find one/some that work!

Isopure RTD drinks-Alpine Punch and grape. I dilute them 50/50 with water and add water drops to hide the after taste! I actually like them once watered down.

Isopure powdered protein isolates-dutch chocolate, creamy vanilla, bananas & cream (my fave), and unflavored to add to soups, etc to up the protein.

Synthrax Nectars protein isolates-Lemon Tea, Fuzzy Navel, Grapefruit are my 3 favorites. I ordered a sample kit from them for about $19 bucks?

Premier Protein RTD drinks-vanilla, chocolate, bananas n' cream-I tolerate on "good" lung days since they do also have protein concentrate in them rather than just isolate.

Hope you find something!!

I bought some clear protein drinks. Premier protein clear and Atkins Lift. The Premier clear tasted awful but the Atkins Lift was pretty good. My nutritionist said to dilute with water might help......also thought about making popsicles with them.

Well, I figure I need to cook us dinner right now anyway...so I make enough that we can have one meal and then the extra I put in vacuum packs and in the freezer they go! She is grateful and appreciative that I care enough to do it in advance...I like to cook anyway, but I'm not stepping foot in the kitchen in the weeks after my surgery.

Oh my goodness, hang in there! I forgot to look to see if you had the sleeve or another surgery. I cant imagine cooking for someone and feeling so ill yet starving also. Luckily, my family is used to me not cooking like I used before I had a full time + job. We only have two kids that live at home now. My older son came home on the deployment last time with home cooked food on his mind and he said, "Man, I am glad I was with the generation that got dinner every night" bless his heart! I still make an effort to cook for him when he is home on leave. I still get some long faces if they realize I am not cooking dinner some nights. The two seventeen year olds and my hubby know the drill now. They had to be re-trained, though. I still cook on the weekends and enjoy cooking for my family but I just dont have the time like I used to. Plus I can't really eat in the evnings ever since I had my gallbladder out because I get so miserable bloated (I know that is odd, you would think I would have lost weight but NOPE - I just eat my heavy meal in the mornings and taper off onto lighter foods during the day. Once in awhile I can watch them eat or go out to dinner and watch everyone else eat and that became easier over time after I forced myself to do it. Sometimes I have to mentally prepare myself and say "Ok, you can't eat this because you will regret it later." However, the difference is that you really are hungry and hardly able to get much down so I just cant imagine feeling nauseated and hungry but not hungry at the same time and cooking for someone else. It is funny how we figure out how so much love and socialization goes into food until we are caught at a point when we can't do it anymore.

I hope you feel better soon and I bet you will get to the point that you can still cook for your love, give yourself some time.

I see we are both short girls.

Before surgery earlier this week Monday 8/28, I made a roast with potatoes amd veggies in the crockpot so that the family would have leftovers for at least two days while I was in the hospital. Then I make chicken breast with cream of chicken soup in the crock pot. I strained the soup and put some away for myself. I left it up to them to decide what veggies they wanted. That lasted the rest of the week. They family is on their own today. Tomorrow i will make something that will last another few days, again probably in the crockpot like lasagna. It's going to be like this until I feel strong enough to cook without picking. Or when I am able to introduce solids.

You look great! Congrats!

Awesome!

You look great!

It's my understanding that we get too much protein (in the western diet). I am eating my complex carbs and still building my muscle. I just flexed to feel it. LOL My husband has also let go of all the animal protein and he's body building and noticeably getting larger. So, the whole notion about having to have so much protein to keep muscle isn't true in my opinion. I do weights three times a week and eat my plant based diet and I'm still building.

There will always be blogs/articles out there to support whatever diet someone chooses. It's our duty to pick it apart and ask questions. Most all of them will be cherry picked for obvious reasons. The book I'm reading, the bariatric doctor emphasizes on really learning to distinguish what's in a report, and too many of them are written by journalists, not real scientists (they don't have time to blog); thus we all believe them to be true. I was given a website by a fellow BP member to look at. This website is fact/science based. It's not an opinion. There are many videos that explain in depth how the body works...how it breaks down animal proteins, plant proteins, etc. There are so many topics discussed on this website that we could all learn from. nutritionfacts.org Sure, the author/doctor of the website (he has a book too-HOW NOT TO DIE) advocates a whole foods plant based diet, but he doesn't just state it, he shows the science behind it all; all the health benefits from it, just like bariatric Dr Garth Davis in his book Proteinaholic. It's fascinating stuff.

All scientific sources are cited as well.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/

Just one last comment before we agree to disagree.

You just had wls, you are not getting enough food to build at this point. At best, you are preserving muscles, which is great. https://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat/

This was just the first link, I can site a ton more. This one is interesting though.

Back in 2011-2012 I lost 67 lbs in a year, I also gained about 15 lbs of muscles. I worked out 6 days a week, but up to 12 times. I eat low carb. I lifted weights 4-5 times, and we are talking like 225 deadlifts, 160 lbs squats etc, with a trainer. I also ran (training for a half marathon), biked and swam, (training for a triathlon).

From what I understand (I could be mistaken), these changes you have made are fairly recent, meaning, there is not enough time to see if you have gained muscles (and as mentioned above, highly doubtful). You are loosing fat, meaning your muscles are becoming more prominent, it doesn't mean that you have built.

Last, a great link in general, nothing to do with this is better than that.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

He has 14 articles just discussing protein, all based on research. And he talks about all different kinds. I haven't read them all, and I can't say which he favors, but it is so interesting. He is siting a lot of research under each article. I though you might enjoy it.

Agree to disagree! 😊 In my benefit I lifted for the last two years. I haven't lost my muscle, but still retaining despite my diet. 💪🏽

That is amazing. You got this, it is not that bad. The first day is the hardest however, you will be full of energy and into by day 2.

I'm just glad that I'm not going to be on ALL LIQUIDS!

You are brave! I don't know how I would fare trying to add in new foods. I think I'll be one to be stuck on protein drinks and beans for a while. Lol. We shall see. Your journey is paving the way for others behind you, like me. Thanks for all the updates!

I am glad that my updates can help. Some days are really good and others are a process to get the nutrients down. However, I would not change anything. I now view food soo differently. I shop differently. Even my Mom and brother shop differently. It is interesting to see them slowly changing their habits as I am learning new ones.

That's great influence! I'm glad to hear they're changing habits too. My husband told me he will go plant based with me. Obviously, I'd have to wait for clearance post op, but we're doing plant based now. He doesn't need to lose weight or anything, he's doing it for support and because of nutritional aspects. I love him even more for it. 😍

Yeah. It was for two weeks. I made through. I am proud of myself.

I'm proud of you too. I'll be doing two weeks as well. When is your surgery?

My surgery is tomorrow the 26th at 10am.

This is surreal, I cannot believe that this is happening. It came so fast. I am ready for this.

I think I'd drop on 350. 😂

lol I am surprise I was living at that point 😂😂

🤣

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Yay...14!? Wow...that's great!

As for the removing of self at restaurants, etc...I have not sat outside, but I go in with the family. It was hard the first couple of times, this last time was way easier. I wasn't hungry and sure, the pizza looked great and smelled great, but I was in control. Until you feel ready to do so, I'd encourage you to go with your family and sit with them, while they eat. You'll have fellowship with them despite not eating the food or even the same food (cause there are things we can get) as them. I'm glad you enjoyed the cooking...I do too, especially now that I eat most of what I do cook anyway (more plant based dishes). You'll get there.

Thank you very much for the advice and words of encouragement! <3 Hope you are doing well!

You're very welcome hon. I'm doing well. Down 24lbs since surgery on 5/15 and doing great. As long as it keeps going down, then that's all that matters for me at this point.

Great job and congrats on your surgery.

I had a bout of fatigue a few days ago. I feel a bit back on track again. Has your fatigue been steady or periodically? I haven't quite pinpointed why mine was around. I didn't workout those days either...just didn't feel up to it. But today I feel great.

I'm glad you're feeling better My fatigue is pretty consistent. It's definitely gotten better since surgery, but I still lose my energy quickly. I'm hoping that as I'm able to eat more calories it'll get better.

Stay off the scale for a good week or so. My surgery was on May 8th and up until 2 weeks ago I would weigh myself everyday, multiple times a day and would get very discouraged when I would not see any changes or see it increase by a few ounces. So now I weigh myself every Sunday morning and track my progress, the loss is there and it makes me feel so much better about my progress. Best of luck to you. Stay positive

The number on the scale is just a number. It will go down, hang out at a particular place for a while, and go down again. My weight loss has been nothing but "stalls" (up to 3 weeks at a time) but I've still lost almost 80 pounds (60 since surgery). This isn't a race. Also, have you measured yourself lately? You may not see the inches coming off, but if you measure regularly (once a month or so) you'll definitely see those numbers go down!

@Brit in Oz Thank you. "Dumping" is vomiting. It is supposed to mainly happen to bypass patients and some lap band patients but sleeves get it too if the food does not sit well.

@Sweet as peaches Thank you as well. I am trying my best. I am really gaining muscle at this point though. I want to be toned as much as possible.

I read that 17% of Sleevers get the dumping. You and I are in that group. Lol. We're special. Lol

Yeah I was shocked that I would be in that group. However, it is really helping me figure out what foods I can and cannot eat. My relationship with food has changed soo much due to Dumping lol

I'd like to think that there are no stalls. Mainly because even if the scale number doesn't go anywhere, you body is still changing (most likely losing inches). Blessings on your journey hon!

That's a good outlook to have! I think that subconsciously I'm still afraid its "just another failed attempt" at successful and long term weightloss and that I'll be that wonderwoman who can't lose weight even on <1000 calories per day I just need to trust the process and get off the scale!

Absolutely. The nurse who discharged me today said "don't get on the scale!" Lol. It was nice to hear because I don't weigh myself anyway...but that she understood the frustration of patients afterwards.

As long you stick to your program and adopt a lifestyle change, you will be that Wonder Woman who lost the weight. You can do this....😉

I'm getting ready to exercise too. Its a great feeling!

• Yes it really is. I like being able to exercise. You do not realize what you miss until your required not to do it.

Ray - try to get your hands on these protein shakes, they were recommended by the nutritionist, they taste good, not diety, and they are packed with protein. Sams Club, Costco, Wal-Mart all sell them - Sams is the cheapest.

Why would you be disappointed? You're a success in every measure!

@Sleeve1stFitNext Definitely won't be complaining about location/time anymore!!!! 1-1.5 hours!? Eeee! Thank you hon.

I took the scenic route, which is along the ocean/bay...where all the million dollar homes are. It was so beautiful, so I will continue to embrace the (little) journey. haha

@Newme17 Yeah, I have become a gym rat. I am really cool with the trainers, the people that work out their and Vinny the cleaning guy. It is what makes you want to go. I enjoy my gym. I enjoy my trainer and enjoy seeing people making gains.

@Sleeve1stFitNextonce upon a time i was the rat...and very healthy one. I knew the trainers, etc...was single too! Now, it's totally different. I make friends with other moms and the gym daycare worker. LOL I do know the cleaning lady as well. Times change, but the want to workout has always been there. I hope it'll always be so with you...now that you're the rat! Enjoy!

Yummmmm!